This program provides a broad overview and substantial introduction to the theories and practices of current object design. Illustrated using recent work from established and emerging designers, this course provides a journey through the "meaning-making" processes that lead to iconic products, and a glimpse into the world of the designers who create them. During the second half of the Twentieth Century, the clearly defined profession of industrial design broadened and fragmented into a diffuse array of specialized practices. Rather than confining their activity to shaping objects for everyday use, object designers have expanded their practice by borrowing from fields such as sociology, anthropology, art, film, and management consultancy, thereby uncovering new ways in which design can affect our lives.
Beginning with a tour through design’s pluralism, this program delves into the power relations and semiotic structures which lie behind object making. It analyzes the process of design as it unfolds in the designer’s mind, on paper, through model making, and via other generative “thinking tools”. Examining the motivation of designers today, it reveals radical, avant-garde positions, as well as progressive, ethical, and sustainable practices that question the profession’s quiet complicity in unchecked mass consumption. The program concludes by examining the working contexts of today’s object designers, discussing the often "slippery" nature of client relationships, as well as the joys and perils of independent practice. Making Meaning: Designing Objects offers insight into the way today’s object designers operate, the theories that guide their decision-making, and the tools and processes they use to get results.
Learning Outcomes
- Understanding the breadth of the object design field, its many sub-disciplines and specialisms.
- Understanding the political connotations of designed objects and how designers express a position through their work.
- Understanding the working contexts of designers - how designers work in the world and what the different models of practice entail.
Overview
- Session 1: Mission Creep: Product Design Goes Plural
- Session 2: Style and Substance: The Overt and Covert Politics of Design
- Session 3: Reading and Writing Form: The Visual Language of Designed Objects
- Session 4: A Generative Process: Design in the Mind, on the Page, and in the Hand
- Session 1: Radical Objects: The Challenging Landscape of Design’s Avant-Garde
- Session 2: The Aesthetics of Progress: Capturing the Zeitgeist in Object Form
- Session 3: Towards Socially Responsible Design: Ethical Approaches to a “Dangerous” Profession
- Session 4: Rules of Engagement: Exploring the Realities of Design Practice
Featured Coursework
- Identify design work that belongs to specific periods; styles and designers
- Discuss the ethical dilemmas raised by object design and learn how to navigate them
- Use photography as a research tool to identify/document design details
Requirements
- A verified Specialist Certificate that prove you completed the Program and mastered the subject.*
- A verified course Certificate for each individual course you complete in the program.*
- 2.0 transferable academic college credit(s) (additional fees apply)
* Each certificate earned is endorsed by Kadenze and the offering institution(s).
Price:
$75 USD
*
($200 USD)
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$125
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Specialist Certificate
Credit Eligible
Why join a Program?
Becoming a specialist in a subject requires a highly tuned learning experience connecting multiple related courses. Programs unlock exclusive content that helps you develop a deep understanding of your subject. From your first course to your final summative assessment, our thoughtfully curated curriculum enables you to demonstrate your newly acquired skills.